Bhopal: The opposition Congress on Friday staged sit-ins in all the districts of Madhya Pradesh on the issue of problem faced by the farmers in selling wheat at government-run procurement centres due to shortage of jute bags.

The party demanded that the last date for the purchase of wheat at minimum support price be extended from May 20 to May 31.

State Congress chief, Kantilal Bhuria, took part in dharna at Sanver town in Indore district, while Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Ajay Singh, led the protest in Vidisha district, party's media cell chairman Manak Agrawal said.

Agrawal blamed the BJP government in the state for the shortage of jute bags for storing wheat, saying that officials failed to make an accurate estimate of the wheat production. The state agencies estimated that total production would be around 65 lakh MT, while the actual production exceeded 80 lakh MT, he said.

Agrawal also criticized Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for blaming the Centre for the shortage of jute bags. He also said that despite claims of the state government about getting rid of middlemen, the agents were still active and buying wheat from farmers at rates much lower than the MSP.

A memorandum was also submitted to the Governor Ram Naresh Yadav on the issue, he added.